Rowing apparatus.



No. 732,336. PATENTED JUNE 30, 1903'.

J.L.BURTON.

ROWING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 23.21, 1003.

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p a pl WITNESSES:

IIWMWW ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES matted June so, 1903..

JOSIAH L. BURTON, OF MARTI-NSVILLE, INDIANA.

ROWING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming" p rt of Letters Pa ent No- 732,3 36, dated. June 30, 1903. Application and February 27, 1903. Serial No. 145,343. (No model.)

T0 at whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSIAH L. BURTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Martinsville, in the county of Morgan and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rowing Apparatus; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form apart of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the details of construction of the rowlock portions of oars, having particular reference to the class of cars that are designed to be used while the oarsman is facing the bow of the boat.

The object of the invention is to provide means whereby bow-facing oars, as referred to above, may be'readily applied to boats that have been fitted for receiving stern-facing oars or those in the use of which the oarsman faces the stern of the boat.

My invention consists in an oar-gear standard adapted to fit into the rowlock-sockets that are provided in the base portions that are attached in a stationary manner to boats for receiving the swivels for stern-facing oars, the standard beingprovided with looking devices adapted to cooperate with other parts of the base portions for preventing rotative movements of the standards.

. The invention consists, further, in the novel parts and in the combination and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter particularly described, and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan View of a portion of a boat having my improved rowing apparatus applied thereto; Fig. 2, a fragmentary top plan view of the rowing apparatus; Fig. 3, a vertical longitudinal sectional View of the rowing-apparatus gearing and supporting-standard in connection with the stationary base portion of a stern-facing rowlock attached to a boat side, the base portion and the boat side being in transverse section; Fig. 4, a perspective view of an improved gear-frame that is designed to be swiveled to the standard to support the geared oars; Fig. 5, an inverted perspective view of the gear-frame; Fig. 6, an inverted perspective view of the gear-frame cap; Fig. 7, a perspective view of the standard when designed to cooperate with a-pecular form of rowlock-base .for light metallic sportsmens boats; Fig. 8, a vertical central sectional view of the standard and the connected gearframe taken in a plane through the swivelsocket of the base portion longitudinally of the boat; Fig. 9, a bottom plan view of the standard and socket portion of the rowlockbase connected together; Fig. 10, a top plan View of a portion of a boat, showing a form of socket-plate attached thereto for receiving an oar-swivel'for stern-facing oars; Fig. 11, a. bottom plan View of the standard modified to suit the plate shown in Fig. 10'; Fig. 12, a plan view of a modified form of socket-plate, showing by means of dotted lines how the standard may also be adapted thereto; and Fig. 13, a bottom plan view of the standard modified to suit the socket-plate shown in Fig. 12.

Similar reference characters in the several figures of the drawings designate like parts.

In carrying out my invention practically I provide geared bowfacing oars with standards that with slight modifications suited to each case may be applied to boats having various shapes of socket-plates for receiving the swivels for stern-facing oars, so that a boat may be supplied with two kinds of oars to be changed at will Without altering the portionsof the rowlocks that are necessarily fixed to the boat-that is, the socket-holders.

Fig. 3 of the drawings shows a rowlockbase or socket-holder which forms the subject-matter of my pending application, Serial No. 126,977, filed October 13,1902, and although said socket-holder is shown in the present case the right is reserved to claim the same in the application referred to above.

In the drawings, ct designates a boat, and b the gunwale or top rail therefor.

A designates a rowlock base or socketholder, having a socket (1 designed, primarily, to receive a swivel yoke or fork in which a stern-facing oar may be mounted. The base A is clamped to the gunwale, and its upper portion extends outwardly beyond the gunwale a suitable distance, the socket being in the projecting portion. The standard B has a body portion adapted to rest upon the base A and is provided with a projecting stem 6, adapted to fit neatly into the socket d and to extend therethrough, provision being made for preventing accidental withdrawal of the stem from the socket, as by means of a cotter or split key g inserted in a holefin the end of the stem or by other suitable means. The standard is also provided with a pair of opposing projections or lugs h and h, projecting from the body portion substantially parallel to the stem 6 at opposite sides of a plane through the stem, the inner faces 71 and j of the projections being preferably curved or are otherwise designed to bear against the edges and Z of the socket-plate or base A when the stem 6 is seated in the socket cl, so that the stem 6 cannot rotate in the socket, and the standard may thus be locked to the base.

The standard B is provided with projections m m, having each a pivot-hole n at the top thereof or projecting from the portion of the body opposite to that from which the stem 6 projects.

The gear-frame D comprises a plate of oblong, form, having a pair of opposing flanges p and 1) extending from the edges of the central portion at one side thereof and adapted to cooperate with the projections m m. The ends of the opposite sides of the plate usually have integral thimbles q q,through which are bolt-holes 1', also extending through the plate. The thimbles, however, may be detachable, if desired. A strengthening-rib sis usually cast on the plate between the flanges p and 1), this being the under side of the frame when in use. The flanges p 2) have pivotholes 15 and are connected to the projections m m by means of a long pivot-pin O or a pair of shorter similar pins inserted in the pivotholes.

The frame-cap E comprises an oblong plate having bolt-holes u at its ends and preferably recessesv about the holes to receive the ends of the thimbles q q. At the opposite or top side of the plate is a rib 20, extending longitudinally of the plate. The cap bears upon the thimbles and is secured to the frame by means of screw-bolts y extending through the bolt-holes.

The gearing for the cars comprise segments of toothed wheels F F, mounted on the thimbles q q in the gear-frames, such construction being well known, the handles G and the oar-blades G being secured to the segments.

In case the boat is provided with socketplates A, placed upon the gunwale Without extending beyond the same, each plate will be provided with sockets 1 and 2 at opposite sides of the swivel-socket d, and the standard B will be provided with dowels 3 and fat opposite sides of the stem 6. In case socketplates A are employed having an arm 5 projecting beyond the gunwale and having the socket d in the arm and the arm having parallel side portions 6 and 7 the standard will be so modified that the locking-lugs 10 and 11 at opposite sides of the stem 6 will have parallel straight faces 12, arranged to engage the sides 6 and 7 and be adapted to also bear against the edges 8 and 9 of the body of the plate, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 12, while the stem 6 enters the socket d. It will be obvious that the base, as shown in Fig. 13, may be suitably proportioned, so as to be used on the base A. Also the thimbles q q may be cast integral with the caps E instead of being attached to the frame D.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. Rowing apparatus including a base having a socket therein, a standard havinga stem adapted to enter the socket and provided with locking devices substantially at opposite sides of the stem and adapted to engage the base and prevent rotation of the standard, and rowing-blades mounted on the standard.

2. Rowing apparatus including a gearframe, a handle and a blade geared together and mounted in the frame, and a standard pivoted to the frame and provided with a plurality of members projecting from the body thereof oppositely from the gear-frame, one of the members being adapted to enter a rowlock-socket and another to engage the socket plate or base.

3. A standard for geared oars comprising a body having at the bottom thereof a stem and also a pair of projections at opposite sides of the stem and also having at the top thereof I a gear-frame pivoted thereto adapted to receive geared oars.

4. In rowing apparatus, the combination with a standard and a pair of segments of gears adapted to support an oar-blade and a handle therefor, of a gear-frame pivoted to the standard and having a rib at the under side thereof or adjacent to the standard, a cap for the frame secured thereto and having a rib at the top thereof, and thimbles extending between the frame and the cap through the seg ments, substantially as set forth.

5. In rowing apparatus, the combination with a rowlock-base having a projecting portion in which is a socket to receive a swivelyoke for stern-facin g oars, of geared bow-facing oars having a gear-frame provided with a standard having a stem extending through the socket and locked therein, and also having projecting members extending substantially parallel to the stem and engaging the opposite edges of the projecting portion of the base and preventing rotation of the stem in the socket, substantially as set forth.

6. In rowing apparatus, the combination with a rowlock-base having a swivel-socket therein, of geared bow-facing oars having a gear-frame provided with a standard having a stem inserted in the socket, and also having a projecting member engaging the rowlock, and cooperating therewith and also with the stem and the socket and preventing ro- 10 oars and to cooperate therewith and also with the stem and the socket, whereby the stem may be prevented from rotation in the socket, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSIAH L. BURTON.

Witnesses:

BERNIOE GUTHRID GE, H. L. PREWITT. 

